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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pop — to visit
  4. face — to point toward
  5. present — the time now
  6. bear — the animal
  7. face — to confront
  8. pit — in a race
  9. net — in sport
  10. present — there
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pop — soda
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bear — the animal
  17. net — for catching
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. net — after costs
  21. pop — music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. face — part of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com